Sky Entertainment packs

The lower packages were raised by £1.50 last year, but they still include on-demand for older subscribers, so they’re a pretty good deal.

#2: Sky HD Pack +£0.50Raising them again will make the top package, with its inclusive HD channels, an attractive option - especially if the HD boost also gets more expensive.

Recombu Digital’s 1st Sky price prediction: Sky Entertainment and Entertainment Extra to go up by £1, to £22.50/month and £27.50/month. No change to Entertainment Extra+.

Recombu Digital’s 2nd Sky price prediction: HD Pack to go up by 50p, to £11/month for Entertainment and Entertainment Extra packs, £5.75/month for Movies and Sports.

The arrival of Sky’s five bundles has brought a level of complication to Sky’s tariffs which is out of character. If they’re popular, we could see the end of the Entertainment packs altogether in 2014.

Sky Premium packs

#3: No increase for Sky Sports & Sky MoviesSky faces competition for both film and sports customers unlike anything it’s seen before.

For all Sky’s bluster, BT has made a long-term commitment to sports, while Netflix and Lovefilm are aggressively challenging for both film and TV viewers.

This hits Sky from both directions: it’s paying more to keep film and sports on its channels, while it needs to be competitive to hang on to viewers facing the squeeze of Austerity Britain.

Full disclosure: Recombu performs commercial work for Sky, but we are not privy to details of forthcoming price rises. All predictions in this feature are based on the writer's 14 years of experience covering the UK digital TV industry.